Achakzai Appointed Opposition Leader in NA

Mudassar Chaudhry – After the election of Sardar Ayaz Sadiq of the National Assembly, the official notification of the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition is being issued by the National Assembly.

The notification of the appointment of the Update Leader was issued under Rule 39 of the National Assembly Rules and Procedures Act, 2007. Spokesperson of the National Assembly

ناں ناں کرتے ہاں ہو گئی، اسپیکر قومی اسمبلی ایاز صادق نے آخر کار محمود خان اچکزئی کی بطور اپوزیشن لیڈر تقرری کا نوٹیفکیشن تحریک انصاف کے رہنمائوں کے حوالے کر دیا۔۔!! pic.twitter.com/WSoEU5GJ0z

— Khurram Iqbal (@khurram143) January 16, 2026

The Provincial Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq organized the notification of the appointment of the Additional Leader to the Additional Parliament delegation. Spokesperson of the National Assembly

The delegation of the Update included Provincial Jamal Ali Shah Ali Assembly Barrister Gohar Khan, Junaid Akbar, Sardar Latif Khosa, Ahsan Khan, Tarkai, Shanadana Gulzar, Zain Qureshi, Ali Asghar Khan, Malik Amjad and Yousaf Khan – Spokesperson of the National Assembly

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Minister Advisor to the Minister of Law and Justice Azam Nazir Tarar and the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Romina Alam were also present on the occasion.

Achakzai’s appointment holds significance as he has called for a national dialogue among all political parties to steer the country out of crisis.

The PTI leaders also have repeatedly said that the mandate to hold dialogue with the ruling coalition vests with TTAP’s Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas.

Speaking to Geo News today, senior PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that Imran has authorised Achakzai to negotiate with the government.

“[…] Achakzai can decide better what to do,” he added.

The PTI, ever since former PM Imran’s ouster via a vote of no-confidence in April 2022, has been at loggerheads, with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

The former ruling party has marched towards Islamabad on multiple occasions, leading to crackdowns and arrests by the police.

Meanwhile, the party also faces an uphill battle on the political and legal front with its founder Imran along with other senior leadership including Qureshi, Yasmin Rashid and others, behind bars over alleged involvement in May 9 incidents.

Earlier this month, PML-N Senator and PM Shehbaz Sharif’s aide Rana Sanaullah tressed the need for trust-building and sustained contact among Pakistan’s top five figures, saying no political breakthrough would be possible without confidence-building measures at the highest level.

Sanaullah suggested that the top five figures, namely Nawaz Sharif, PM Shehbaz, President Asif Ali Zardari, Imran and “another one” could meet and unless steps were taken to restore trust among them, the country would remain trapped in political deadlock, adding that informal contacts at lower levels would not resolve the crisis.

However, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar rejected the federal government’s proposal.

Neither can the top five big players meet, nor is there any need for it, the PTI chief remarked, stressing that the party had never called off negotiations, but questioned the logic of talks between the top five players.

Meanwhile, PTI Secretary General Barrister Salman Akram Raja urged the PML-N-led federal government to clarify its proposal for talks and noted that no dialogue could move forward without the PTI founder’s participation.